Friendly competition can be motivating. Applied in the workplace, it can encourage efficiency and employee development. Many organizations around the world have relied on gamification for this exact purpose. The use of game elements such as points, leaderboards and badges can help employees reach their goals and enhance their skills; but the technique could also have reverse effects. Let’s explore the pros and cons of gamification and see if the technique is right for your business.
PRO
1) Positive Reinforcement
Gamification platform Bonusly states that people are more likely to repeat actions that have positive outcomes be it through badges, rewards, or social recognition. Therefore, they will be more motivated to complete and excel in certain tasks.
2) Boosts engagement
Publishing platform eLearning Industry, says that “even as adults, our basic instinct to play doesn’t lessen.” Gamification allows employees to connect with the content, learn something new, and increase retention – all while ‘playing a game.’
3) Provides instant feedback
For an employee to understand what they’re doing right or wrong, through instant feedback, encourages them to adapt and strengthen their skills. It also helps them monitor their progress in relation to their team.
CON
1) Hinders creativity and problem-solving
Organizations often use reward systems for simple task completions. They often forget to measure more complex responsibilities and accomplishments. Business magazine Fast Company says that companies sometimes associate badging and rewards with irrelevant requirements, making the entire purpose of gamification inauthentic.
2) Expensive to Develop
Gaming platforms require more attention and resources to develop than traditional learning programs. Graphics, videos, and content also need to be upkept to ensure that information stays relevant.
3) One and Done
eLearning Industry and Fast Company say that the excitement of a ‘game,’ eventually wears off. Once an employee has completed it, they are less likely to play again. So, the expensive platform that took a lot of time to develop, may end up going to waste.
While gamification can encourage more active participation from employees and motivate them through friendly competition, it’s also important for leaders to stay connected with their teams. Having frequent touchpoints with their direct reports, and providing them with opportunities to practise and apply their new skills is a continuing benefit of gamification. Implementing real-life scenarios relevant to an employee’s role is also necessary, as is ensuring fresh content and tasks are frequently included and assessed within the platform. So, gamification, along with an active team and backing from leadership, can be great recipes for success.
At Glass of Learning we have designed our own gamification platform for learning transfer, Leadership Road™. This platform hosts all program resources, provides weekly practice and application activities, additional learning resources such as blogs, videos or podcasts based on the topic of the week. Participants complete this practice or additional learning to earn badges. The badges are based on one-point lessons – one lesson learned, one behavior change, one tool implemented, or one result that is different. This information is shared, reviewed, and the badge awarded, or additional coaching provided to ensure success. Additional badges and points can be earned to build culture by sharing success stories, involving your team, nominating colleagues for their leadership or managers nominating participants for the development they are seeing. Each senior person is given a role to support learners, with suggested questions, dialogue, and a job aid to support success and stay on track.
Although participants will have mixed reactions to seeing a Leaderboard of points, the camaraderie that develops between trainees and the practical application on real work, results in visible on-the-job changes that make a difference in team performance and individual success.
